Work…
It’s what many people spend most of their adult life doing.
8 hours a day, 240 days a year, for 40 years or so.
That is a heck of a lot of time.
But the worst part is, most people I know don’t actually enjoy their work.
They work out of necessity, not passion.
I’ve been there, working to pay the bills rather than working because you want to. But then I heard my mentor, Jim Rohn, say something that changed everything, “Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.” He then added “If you work hard on your job, you can make a living. If you work hard on yourself, you can make a fortune.”
He had gone to work on himself and invested his weekends and days off into building his fortune, eventually making him a millionaire before the age of 35. But his fortune came not from his job, but from working on his dream.
But it’s not just the money that makes the difference.
It’s the personal satisfaction and enjoyment we have at creating our life.
You see, when you love what you do, work isn’t hard. It’s a joy. And because it’s what you love, you give it all you’ve got. Day in and day out. Always trying to make things better. Studying and learning everything you can about it…because you want to know. And the more you study, the more you apply and the more you try…the better you get and the more successful your company will become. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. It takes effort, but the rewards are great.
The problem is most people never take the time to sit down and figure out what they really want to do with their life.
I constantly ask students that I meet what they want to do in the future, but rarely do any of them have a clear vision of what they want to do. They simply want to work. That’s not enough. It’s the biggest mistake I see in kids today.
That model worked before the Internet came along. During the Industrial Age, studying hard in college got you into a good company with good prospects for the future. Companies trained you and if you kept your nose clean, worked hard, you were set for life. It wasn’t the way to riches, but it was a safe, predictable path which appeals to many people because of the security it offers.
When I graduated back in the middle of the 90s, things were already changing.
College grads ended up tending bar or working as a server till they found something more to their liking. Today it’s even worse, with many grad students unable to find work.
I know the economy is partly to blame, but I think it’s because more people haven’t taken the time to answer the question that Steve Olsher, America’s Reinvention Expert, asks which is, “What is your what?”
Personally, I always thought my what was English teaching. That’s what I was good at.
But over the past few years I’ve realized that my what was something bigger. I have a gift which allows me to help people become better.
I do this in a variety of ways:
- I teach English
- I share success principles (aka personal development)
- I do financial seminars
- I offer marketing advice
- I find good materials (aka studying)
- I pass along relationship advice (simply from experience)
- I teach time management
- I write blog posts
- I interview people of interest
- I tell stories (to entertain and educate)
You might recognize the words in bold make up my 4 Pillars.
You see, I agree with what Brendon Burchard, the world highest paid marketer, says, “I believe, everyone can become a millionaire by offering advice, guidance, and information to the world.”
However, he then goes on to explain why more people aren’t willing to go for it. “People are scared to take on more challenges, because their plate is full. But their plate is full with meaningless stuff.”
How true.
They are always “busy” doing something. There’s only one problem with that, they’re busy either working or hanging out with friends that they have no time to invest in themselves. They have fallen for the trap.
Who has time to design a better tomorrow when they have bills to pay. I get it. I really do.
But unless YOU change, it’s not going to change. As Mahatma Gandhi said so well, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
Too many people wait for change to happen. They wait for companies to give them raises, rather than work hard to earn a raise. They wait for governments to change the laws, rather than gather signatures to submit to the government for change. They wait for success to come to them, rather than going out and making it happen.
One of the secrets of success that Brendon Burchard explains is this: “Smart people find out what they truly enjoy in life, and they do that.”
I have found what I truly enjoy. I have found my what.
Have you?
Tick tock.
Adrian Shepherd